Return of Shounen Bat
by xwolfxboundx
Summary: A young journalist, new to her career begins having wierd dreams about random people being attacked by an elementary school kid with a twisted metal baseball bat. But it looks like dreams really do come true..
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Thick, ashy clouds loomed over the busy city of Tokyo. It was mid day, cars flooding the streets and people crowding the sidewalks. The high-pitched rings of cell phones and the stressed voices of business men and women shouting into their cell phones made the city alive.

Amongst all this walked Haru Ichikawa, a young journalist who just started her career. Her life dream was to become a journalist; no matter what obstacles she would have to face. She carried herself with confidence and pride, and tended to be rather nosey and stubborn. But she was very conniving, and always managed to slip a story from seemingly nowhere. And to top it all off, she could make her writing as vivid as an image.

Haru was a small, thin lady; with pale skin and dark, thin hair. Her eyes were a dark, ominous brown; usually lit up with 'Kiss-Me-Pink' eyeshadow and brown eye-liner. She usually wore a dressy t-shirt and skirt when on business, otherwise dressed casually.

Her stroll was quite lazy as she gazed thoughtfully at the dark clouds. Eventually she stopped, a spark of curiosity in her eyes. She was just a small child when Tokyo's last massive incident struck. She could not remember anything, but how she wished she could! And it was all due to something created by people's minds.

That's right. That Shounen Bat kid. Lil' Slugger, rather.

She flicked a lock of hair from her eyes, a grimace etching across her glossed lips. She began to dreamily stroll, her eyes locked on the sky.

"If only I could interview him now...the envy I'd get from-"

Her words were broken off as she bumped into something large and soft. She gasped, startled, and jerked back, gazing with a horrified expression at whatever she managed to bump into. She held herself as if she'd just touched some sort of monstrous spider or something.

But it was no spider. It was a middle aged man, with messy jet black hair and interesting green eyes. A frown twisted across Haru's lips as she cleared her throat.

"Oh uh, sorry...?" She began, hoping he'd finish her sentence with his name. He brushed himself off, staring at her oddly.

"Ken'Ichi Fujino." He spoke in an irritated voice, straightening himself up as if he were to belittle the confident news reporter. Haru's eyes widened, her jaws ajar.

"Ken'Ichi Fujino! The creator of the popular Saburo!" She cried, eyeing him. No, he couldn't be _serious_...she had just bumped into someone _THAT_ important? The _CREATOR_ of a the major character Saburo!

"That's me." He responded with a defiant grin. "Now if you'd excuse me..." He muttered, beginning to step past her. He gave her no second thought.

"Wait!" She cried, stepping in front of him. She bowed as if she were begging for mercy, her words shaken.

"I'm so sorry, sir!" She muttered, glancing up. She reached out for his arm. "Please, I must ask you a few questions-"

"Bah! I should have known you were one of those nosey reporters!" He snarled, jerking back. Turning the other way, he glanced over his shoulder.

"Yes. I've seen you on T.V. I won't have a word with you. Good day." He stated bluntly, walking off rather quickly. Haru only watched, stunned. Her big chance to land a huge success in her career was walking away from her. Hurrying after him, she refused to give up.

"PLEASE sir, just a few questions!" She begged, weaving through the people in a frenzy. She was losing him. "I really need to..." She trailed off, staring through the sea of people. They were once invisible to her, but now she strained to find the figure of Mr. Ken'Ichi Fujino. He was nowhere in sight.

In grief she left; once heading for a cup of coffee but now heading back to the station. It was her lunch break; but she had lost her appetite. And her big story.

At the station a co-worker grinned to hear about her loss. However she stifled it, filing some papers at her desk. Her curious blue eyes wandered over the stress Haru, her posture straightening.

"Oh, Haru, you'll get a story soon." She assured, her wrinkled face straining to create a positive grin. She was at a ripe old age, one of the many to have gone through the incident on Tokyo with Shounen Bat.

"After all, you're such a...bright reporter." She complimented, flicking her wrist. Haru nodded, walking away. She plopped in her seat at her desk, staring at the computer screen. There was a cute picture of the fuzzy kitty Saburo as her desktop wallpaper. It only reminded of her loss earlier.

"Hello, Ms. Ichikawa." Came a voice from behind. Flinching, Haru knew exactly who it was. It was Renzo Sawabashi, or her boss. He was a plump man, with rosy cheeks and a menacing looking face. He had stubble but no beard, and hard brown eyes. A worried grin had crossed his thin lips.

"Busy, I see..." His eyes drifted to the blank computer screen. Haru sighed.

"I heard about your big blow." He muttered, resting his arm on the corner of the half-wall that enveloped her small desk on three sides. There were many rows like this. Haru lowered her gaze to the floor.

The truth was, Haru had not gotten a good story for the past few weeks. The boss' patience was thinning, and if she didn't come up with something soon, she was going to lose her job.

"Don't let it get you down. You'll have a good story soon..." He assured hesitantly, gazing at her sharply. "Right?"

His words stabbed her. No. Not right! The stress was weighing her down. Her gaze slowly and painfully drifted up to him.

The past few weeks had been hell for her. She ran around, chasing somebody or another for a big story. Her charm was running out. Her patience was running thin. And her job was going down the drain. Each day the stress became heavier, and her ability to form a good story wore down. She was under pressure by her boss and co-workers to turn out to be the brilliant reporter she was when she first launched the job.

But deep down, she knew she wasn't that fabulous reporter they all saw her as. She was a filthy cheater.

"Yes, Mr. Sawabashi.." She said in low tones, glancing up at her computer screen.

'Damn that Mr. Fujino and his ignorance...' She thought. She barely noticed as her boss walked away.

That night, she flopped into bed without even changing out of her work clothes. She was too worn to care anymore. Moonlight poured through the dusty window of her compact, cheap apartment. Her eyes glowed under the light, until she turned on her side towards the thick shadows that engulfed half of her room.

What really happened back then, before the big incident? How she wish she was there! She needed a story..she needed something to write about!

She tossed and turned until she finally reached a light slumber.

Dim lights lit up the street. The moon was hidden by the thick clouds now. A suffocating mist had settled on the streets and allies, and the cold bit into the bone. The night life was slow and heavy, pulled down like gravity with the shadows.

A man, looking about in his mid thirties, carried a large bag stuffed with items down a narrow ally. He seemed to stumble, trying to walk with the heavy items in hands. Eventually he let it drop and began to drag it, heading towards a pile of bags of garbage usually collected by the garbage men weekly.

He halted before the bags, staring down at his own. Tears swelled within his eyes. He fought to hold them back, but the hot tears rolled down his cold cheeks. Pictures of a seemingly happy women, and many of her clothes and possessions were stuffed in this bag.

He had lost his wife.

He stared at the bag for the longest time, before falling on his knees. He pressed his lage hands to his face, whimpers escaping his heaving body. He shook his head, tilting his skull towards the sky.

"Why!" He cried, his distressed voice ringing through the ally and bouncing off the hard stone walls. He pressed his hands against the cold, damp cement ground, taking in slow, deep breaths.

His eyes were empty, her expression emotionless.

'All is lost...I can never live again...' He thought in grief.

'We were one...she was my other half..I lost her...I can't go on...'

'Why couldn't I go with her! Why!'

Another sound echoed through the alley. It was the sound of small, hard wheels in friction with the cold, wet ground. A continuous buzzing noise. And then, a heavy screech.

The man paused, clearing his throat silently. A cold chill ran up his spine, his body shaking violently. In fear, he glanced over his shoulder, his eyes widening.

Shadows engulfed a slumped figure towering over his deprived body. He could see reddish tints towards the crown of the shadow, and at the very base two golden shoes, it seemed. He noticed movement...the shadow raised something.

The man's voice was caught in his throat. His body was numb with panic. The shadow shifted, the pale light reaching his face, half covered in shadows. A maniacal grin stretched across the face, a glint of metal blinding the man before he was struck.

Haru shot up in her bed, gripping her covers in fear. The vivid images of that object clashing down upon that man were still fresh in her mind. She held hber hands, and her blanket, close to her heart, gazing directly across the room. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her throat clearing slowly.

Glancing out her window, she began to calm down, releasing her grasp on the covers. She fell back on her bed, closing her eyes. It was just a dream.


	2. Chapter 2

Deceivingly, the weather indicated it would be a good day. A better day, at least. Sunshine illuminated busy Wednesday streets and occupied buildings. From the moment Haru stepped onto the sidewalk, she had a clear view of the goals she would accomplish that day, and for once, they didn't seem so out of reach. A smug grin tugged at her petite lips and, with strides of confidence, she made her way along the daily route to her workplace.

Her dark eyes beheld the vivacity of the morning city; rushing to work, to eat, to play. Her head tilted as she admired the architecture, something she'd often considered a burden. The shape of the buildings, the sheen and reflection of the windows, the bold picture in the television screens..

The television screens. Haru's stride quickly halted, and her eyes widened along with the tight crowd of people hovering around one of the screens displaying the news. The reporter gave an austere report of the previous evening's events, her hands tightly gripping the papers upon the desk.

"Mr. Shiga is currently in critical condition, after a ruthless blow to the head caused severe brain trauma. Whether or not Mr. Shiga.." The reporter's solemn words began distant at this point, Haru's pursed lips lightly quivering as she analyzed the victim on the screen. It was a mirror image of her dream, the man she'd seen struck by the wicked school child with the baseball bat. It was.. _real._

Backing away slowly, and nearly falling from her weak legs, she quickly spun and all but ran to her work building. Haru couldn't believed what she'd just seen and, frankly, she began to believe she was dreaming yet _again!_ But the frantic bustle and rustle of people and papers in her building confirmed what she'd struggled to do on her own: it was real. He was back.

She shrugged through a frenzy of people to reach her desk, where she found she had to grip it tightly just to continue to stand up. Everyone's mouth was moving, but she could hear nothing. Slowly she lowered herself into her padded chair as chaos unfolded around her. She shoved her head into her cupped hands, the breezes of people whizzing by becoming a surreal feeling as reality was beginning to cloud, and the sounds were beginning to drown out. All but one.

_Tink. Tink. _Silence. Her lids peeled open quickly, her heart beating violently against her chest as she strained to understand the single ping she'd just heard. And again: _Tink. Tink._ She knew it was there, but could she look? Her jaws clenched lightly as she slowly lowered her trembling hands, her head slowly tilting to the left. Her gaze remained on the floor but, within moments, her attention was again beckoned: _TINK._

A lift of her gaze confirmed her horror as she found the only dark and once-deserted corner of the room. Now, it hosted a ghastly figure, a large baseball cap shadowing a face which held a twisted grin. The figure seemed to tower over anything in the room, although she only saw with tunnel vision the event unfolding before her. The blurry movements of people still weaved in front of and around her, but it never stole her attention from him, from his _grin_. It widened.

_TINK._ One last tap of his bat against the hard stone wall was issued and, as a startled reaction, Haru jerked emotionally. Within moments, Shounen Bat spun around on his skates and seemingly disappeared into the walls. Haru's jaw had at some point dropped, the already-pale color of her skin flushed out of her as she tried to grasp what had just happened.

She was jostled by one of her co-workers slamming their hand on her desk; it was Yumeko, the older woman with blue eyes. Haru stared at her, although still in a trance, but she was soon awakened by Yumeko's growling voice.

"Did you hear? It's happening again! It has to be him! This is big, Haru!" Yumeko's crazed gaze teemed with excitement, almost as if the news were comparable to winning a large sweepstakes. In contrast to Haru, Yumeko seemed to shiver in excitement, while Haru still trembled in fear. Too startled to respond, Haru merely stared, and Yumeko only tried to catch her attention with a few waves of her hand before she shrugged and scurried off to another desk.

'Why is this happening..' Haru's mind was a pit of confusion as thoughts crashed and set fire within her brain. She even teared up slightly and, to reassure herself, she looked into the corner again. Empty. With an unstable wobble, she pushed herself to a stand, hurriedly grabbing her things; primarily, her paper and pen.

She had to get to the bottom of this. In a dark and twisted way, she felt this was her fault. She saw it coming, somehow.. but why? All to quick she'd been shoved in the middle of this, and she hadn't a clue what was going on. All she knew was it seemed a horrible nightmare was coming to life, and she had to try to stop it.


End file.
